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Sunday, November 18, 2007

Why give this priest a second chance?

Catholic priest Padraig Greene is up for the position of authority over two Pleasnaton parishes, St. Augustine Church and Elizabeth Seton. Only, Greene has a troubling past. He was arrested in 1999 for masturbating in front of a police officer at a park frequented by children. Why would any reasonable person give this man a second chance?

Father Mark Wiesner, spokesman for the Diocese of Oakland, said Bishop Allen Vigneron and the diocese are standing behind Greene because they think his 1999 arrest was "a single isolated incident" and he underwent six months of "therapy and spiritual renewal" at a center for troubled priests in St. Louis, Mo.

Wiesner said, "We were well aware of his past and believe he is doing well now."

Wiesner said no minors were present when Greene was arrested for lewd conduct at the North Oakland Regional Sports Center on Broadway in Oakland in March 1999 and the charges against him were dismissed after he agreed to undergo therapy.

I get it. Greene is cured. This does not change things. Green should be denied the job. One does not give a bank robber a job as a bank teller, why would one give a sex addict a job as with access to kids?

6 comments:

Shame on Padraig Greene! I do not know why the Church leaders, including Fr. Dan, the current Pastor and the Bishop are supporting him. I am a parishioner in Catholic Community in Pleasanton and I am ashamed of the things this man has done. The leaders in the Roman Catholic Church in our country still do not get the real message even after so many sexual abuse cases. Padraig, get away from here and go and do some office job.

I simply do not understand the conflation of adult sexual misbehaviour and inferences about 'kids'! Please also see my previous blogg

Leaving, staying in or joining the RC church is not simple or straight forward. Similarly, while I was most disturbed at the appointment of Ratzinger, the appointment of a minister is not as straight forward as 'are there any blots in their copy book?'. In Fr Padraig Green's case clearly he has wrestled with the dark underbelly of our human condition. Yes the complex and full expression of human sexuality is also there in priests! In fact because they are expected to live up to a 'whiter than white' sexual existence, without our understanding, love, support and prayers, they are more prone to compensatory eruptions of their shadow side. The more something is repressed into darkness the more charged and potentially eruptive it becomes. In the case of Fr Padraig, it would appear that these aspects of his sexuality are now fully out in the open and therefore no longer in darkness. Hence, by being brought into the Light, they are no longer in danger of compensatory eruption.

Besides, this one blot in a copybook, what of the immensely healing, restorative and transformative ministry of Fr Padraig. His ministry not only touches many of his parishioners but it also enhances and touches and influences for the better the lives and ministry of many fellow priests. In Ireland he led the way in Family Ministry and touched (and indirectly continues to) the lives of tens of thousands of suffering and struggling families.

So my final point is let us remember -before we throw stones - why are we demanding an absolute and permanent ideal from our religious leaders? Also if we could come to regard our opinions as 'partial and true' including this one, we would then allow space for a larger truth to also make itself present.

I pray God's love on all who want to punish and abuse Fr Padraig and on all those who do so.

Every man who is judging Father Greene has probably masturbated himself at some point, as have most women. Big deal. We, as humans, created by God to be sexual, should deal with it. My biggest issue is that I have children going to a private school where Father Greene used to be pastor -- WE the parents were put through background searches, training, fingerprinting, etc., but NOBODY at the school or parish had the common decency to bring the issue to light! To me, that evades the concepts of truth and honesty, and the catholic preachings.